End wall construction for file drawers and the like



g- 7, 1956 A. L. STEDMAN ET AL 2,757,852

END WALL CONSTRUCTION FOR FILE DRAWERS AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 27, 1955 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTORS ALLAN L. STEDMAN MARVIN D. KING 1956 L. STEDMAN ETAL 2,757,852

END WALL CQNSTRUCTION FOR FILE DRAWERS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 27, 1953 I 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 'j FIG. Y 2 u INVENTORS ALLAN- L. STEDMAN a By MARVIN n Kl United States Patent Oflice 2,757,852 .Patented Aug. 7, 1956 END WALL CONSTRUCTION FOR FILE DRAWERS AND THE LIKE Allan L. Stedman and Marvin D. King, Massillon, Ohio, assignors to Convoy, Incorporated, Canton, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio This invention relates to receptacles and the like, and more particularly to drawers for transfer or storage files composed of fiber board that has been strengthened and hardened by impregnation with a hardening material such as molten sulphur.

Filing cabinets and filing cabinet drawers of such material are used widely; they are produced by applicants assignee from a one-piece blank of corrugated fiber board which is folded into drawer form, the various parts being held together by means of staples. After the blank has been folded into its finished shape and stapled, it is immersed in molten sulphur or the like; upon removal from the sulphur bath and hardening of the sulphur the drawer is complete. The front walls or the drawers are provided with handles so the drawers can be pulled out of their surrounding shells or cabinets, hence the front walls must be strong. The necessary strength isusually obtained by building up the front walls from a plurality, ordinarily three, layers of impregnated fiber board. In prior art drawers, the several layers of the front walls are held together and the front walls are held in position by means of staples that show on the front faces of the walls. Because of the presence of the staples and the marks and indentations made by the stapling machines, the front walls of such drawers have presented a rough, unattractive ap.

smooth, finished appearance, unmarred by the presence of staples or other fasteners. Another object of the invention is the provision of such a drawer or like receptacle which can be produced from a single unitary blank of material without substantial waste of material. An-

other object is the provision of such a drawer or like receptacle embodying means for supporting a wire pull handle. Another object is the provision of such a drawer or like receptacle embodying means for supporting a wire clip adapted to carry an index card. Another object is the provision of such a drawer or like receptacle which can be produced with the equipment utilized in the production of prior art drawers and at a cost not substantially exceeding the cost of prior art drawers.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings. The essential characteristics of the invention are summarized in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a transfer file drawer made according to the invention. i

Figure 2 is a view of the interior of the front wall of the drawer shown in Figure 1, on a slightly enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the corrugated fiber board blank. from which thedrawer is made.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the front end of the drawer in one stage of its assembly.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4, but showing the outer flap of the front of the drawer bent partially into position, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 2 and showing the completed drawer.

As shown in Figure l, a transfer file drawer or other receptacle embodying the invention may be of conventional shape and arrangement having a bottom 10, side walls 11 and 12, a rear wall 14 and a front wall 15. The front of the drawer is provided with a pivotally supported wire handle 16 and above the handle 16 there is a wire spring clip 17 by means of which an index card or the like may be secured to the drawer. The handle is disposed in a recessed portion 18 of the front wall 15 and the wire clip 17 is immediately above the handle 16 and recess 18. It will be noted that except for the recess, the handle, and the wire clip, the front wall of the drawer is smooth and the entirely unmarred by staples, tool marks, or the like, although as shown in Figure 2 numerous staples 19 are employed to hold the Wall in place and the plies thereof together.

To attain this highly desirable result and at the same time produce an exceptionally strong and rigid construction at reasonable cost, we preferably form the drawer from a blank such as shown in Figure 3. The blank comprises a unitary piece of corrugated fiber board or the like cut as indicated by the full lines and scored as indicated by the dotted lines to provide for ready folding into the drawer shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bottom and sidesof the drawer are formed from the correspondingly numbered portions 10, 11 and 12 of the blank 20. The rear end wall 14 may be formed from a central flap 21 and side flaps 22 and 23 which are folded around the exterior of the central flap when it is bent upwardly to form the rear wall. When so folded, the edges 24 and 25 of the side flaps abutin the center of the exterior of the rear wall 14. The tab 26 on the center flap 21 is then bent over the upper edge of the side flaps'and down along the side flaps to which it is secured to provide a reinforcing cuff and to cover the cut edges 27 and 23 of the side flaps 22 and 23. This is a construction which is old in the art and formsno part of the present invention, the present invention being directed to the construction and arrangement of the front wall 15 and the portions of the blank for forming As shown by the sectional view of Figure 6, the front wall 15 is made up of an outer layer 30, an intermediate layer 31, and an inner layer 32. These parts are correspondingly numbered in Figure 3, the flap 30 in alignment with the bottom It constituting the outer layer in the completed drawer, the flap 31 in alignment with the side wall 11 constituting the intermediate layer, and the flap 32 in alignment with the side wall 12 constituting the inner layer. In assembling the drawer from the blank 20, the side walls 11 and 12 are bent into vertical position along the fold lines 33 and 34; the rear wall is completed by bending the flap 21 upwardly and the flaps 22 and 23 inwardly along the outer surface of the flap 21 and then bending the tab 26 downwardly over the outer surface of the flaps 22 and 23. These parts are then stapled together; the staples are shown at 29 in Figure 1; they near the outer edge 36 thereof in the blank (see Figure -3-),-this 'ed'ge becoming the upper edge when the intermediate flap is folded into position. Flap 31 also has a separate handle supporting flap 37, there being slight spaces as at 38 between the ends of the flap 37 and the main body of the flap 31; the flap 37 is scored along line 39 for easy bending and is separated opposite the score line 39 from the main body of flap 31 by a cut 40.

Flap 32 is cut away as at 42 so that when it is folded into position as shown in Figures 4 and 5 its upper edge 43 lies substantially below the upper edge of the end wall and just slightly below the upper edges of apertures in the intermediate wall 31. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the walls 31 and 32 lie against each other narrow slits 44 are left at the upper portions of the openings 35, the major portions of openings 35 being blocked by the inner wall or flap. The ends of the wire handle 16 are positioned behind the flap 37, either before or after the flaps 31 and 32 are bent into contact with each other as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the handle being accommodated by the slots 38. Then the two flaps 31 and 32 are firmly secured together by as many staples 19 as may be necessary, these staples being visible on 'both the inside and the outside of the assembly of the flaps 31 and 32 as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

The front wall 15 is completed by bending the outer flap 30 upwardly along the fold line 47 as shown in an intermediate stage in Figure 5. In order to retain the flap 30 in position and to provide a strongly reinforced construction without the necessity of any stapling, the flap 30 has at its end a cuff-forming flap terminating in a plurality of tabs 51 spaced and dimensioned to correspond to the openings 35 in the intermediate flap 31. Flap 30 is positioned by bending the cuff-forming fiap 50 about the double score lines 52 and tucking tabs 51 into the narrow tab-receiving slots 44 and the space provided by the remaining portions of the tab-receiving recesses 35. The depth of the cuff-forming fiap 50 is substantially the same as the depth of the cut-away portion 42 of the inner flap 32 so that the flap 50 lies along the inner surface of intermediate flap 31 with its end 53 abutting the edge 43 of the fiap 32. Preferably, the end 53 and edge 43 are shaped to conform substantially to each other as shown. The tabs 51 extend through the slots 44 and into the recesses 35, being disposed between the inner face of the outer flap 30 and the outer face of the inner flap 32. The interengagement of the tabs 51 with slots 44 and recesses 35 holds the outer flap 30 in position without staples or other fasteniugs. The spaces for receiving the flap 50 and tabs 51 are shown best in Figure 5, while the complete assembly is shown in section in Figure 6. The inner appearance of the wall 15 is shown in Figure 3.

In order to provide for the handle 16 the outer ilap 30 has the cut-out opening 18 therein. This opening is of sufficient size to receive the handle, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, and is disposed so that all but the lowermost portion of the flap 37 is covered by the outer flap 30. Thus, the outer flap 30 reinforces the flap 37 and prevents it from being bent outwardly by pulling forces exerted on the handle.

The wire index card clip 17 is simply slipped onto the upper edge 55 of the opening 18 before the outer fiap 30 is folded into place.

After the formation of the blank into the shape of the drawer has been completed as described above, the drawer is completed by impregnation with molten sulphur or other suitable hardening material in a well known manner. The impregnation increases the hardness, strength and rigidity of the fiberboard to such an extent that the outer flap 30 of the front wall 15 is held securely in place by the cuff-forming fiap 50 and tabs 51 without requiring any additional fastening means. Thus, the exterior of the front wall is free from staples and tool marks and presents a neat and attractive appearance. Furthermore, the handle and index card clip are securely held in position, the wall is strong and rigid, and the whole assembly can be made without substantial waste of material and at reasonable cost.

In the present specification, the invention has been described as applied to a drawer for a transfer file or the like in which only one end of the drawer need have the construction constituting the present invention, the rear end being'of conventional construction. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular use and that in other applications or fields of useage of the invention it may be desirable to provide a receptacle with more than one wall embodying the features of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that our patent is not limited to the preferred form of the invention described herein and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An end construction for a receptacle composed of fiberboard that has been hardened by impregnation with a hardening agent, said receptacle having side and bottorn walls, said end wall construction comprising an inner flap formed integrally with one of said side walls, an intermediate flap formed integrally with the other of said side walls, said inner and intermediate flaps lying in contact with each other and being stapled together, said intermediate fiap having a plurality of tab-receiving recesses therein near the upper edge thereof, the upper edge of said inner flap terminating below the upper edge of said intermediate flap and slightly below the upper edges of said tab-receiving recesses, said inner flap thereby partially blocking said tab-receeiving recesses and leaving narrow tab-receiving slots at the upper ends of said recesses, said intermediate flap also having an integral handle supporting flap and a handle supported thereby, and an outer flap formed integrally with said bottom wall and overlying said intermediate flap, said outer flap having at its upper end a cuff-forming flap terminating in tabs spaced to correspond to said tab-receiving recesses, said cuff-forming flap extending over the upper edge of said intermediate flap and downwardly in engagement with the inner surface of said intermediate flap, the end of said cuff-forming flap abutting the upper edge of said inner fiap and the tabs thereon extending through said tab-receiving slots and lying in said tab-receiving recesses between the outer surface of the inner flap and the inner surface of the outer flap, said outer flap being so cured to the assembly of said inner and intermediate flaps by said cuff and tab without staples whereby said outer flap presents a smooth unmarred appearance, said outer flap having a handle-receiving recess therein the width of which is at least as great as the width of said handle, and a wire index card clip secured to the upper edge of said handle-receiving recess.

2. A11 end construction for a receptacle composed of fiber board that has been hardened by impregnation with a hardening agent, said receptacle having side and bottom walls, said end wall construction comprising an inner fiap formed integrally with one of said side walls, an intermediate fiap formed integrally with the other of said side walls, said inner and intermediate flaps lying in contact with each other and being stapled together, said intermediate flap having a plurality of tab-receiving recesses therein near the upper edge thereof, the upper edge of said inner flap terminating below the upper edge of said intermediate flap and slightly below the upper edges of said tab-receiving recesses, said inner flap thereby partially blocking said tab-receiving recesses and leaving narrow tab-receiving slots at the upper ends of said recesses, said intermediate flap also having an integral handle supporting flap and a handle supported thereby, and an outer flap formed integrally with said bottom wall and overlying said intermedeiate flap, said outer flap having at its upper end a cuff-forming flap terminating in tabs spaced to correspond to said tab-receiving recesses, said cuff-forming flap extending over the upper edge of said intermediate flap and downwardly in engagement with the inner surface of said intermediate flap, the end of said cufi-forming flap abutting the upper edge of said inner flap and the tabs thereon extending through said tab-receiving slots and lying in said tab-receiving recesses between the outer surface of the inner fiap and the inner surface of the outer flap, said outer flap being secured to the assembly of said inner and intermediate flaps by said cuff and tab without staples whereby said outer flap presents a smooth unmarred appearance, said outer fiap having a handle-receiving recess therein the width of which is at least as great as the width of said handle.

3. An end construction for a receptacle composed of fiber board, said receptacle having side and bottom walls, said end construction comprising an inner flap formed integrally with one of said walls, an intermediate flap formed integrally with another of said walls, said inner and intermediate flaps lying in contact with each other and being secured together, said intermediate flap having an integral handle-supporting flap in the central portion thereof and having a tab-receiving recess therein, the upper edge of said inner flap terminating below the upper edge of said intermediate flap and slightly below the upper edge of said tab-receiving recess, said inner flap thereby partially blocking said tab-receiving recess and leaving a narrow tab-receiving slot at the upper end of said recess, and an outer flap formed integrally with a third of said walls and overlying said intermediate flap, said outer flap having a handle-receiving recess in the central portion thereof, said handle-receiving recess being at least as wide as the handle-supporting portion of said handlesupporting flap, and having at its upper end a cuff-forming flap terminating in a tab positioned to correspond to said tab-receiving recess, said cuif-forming flap extending over the upper edge of said intermediate flap and downwardly in engagement with the inner surface of said intermediate flap, and said tab extending through said tabreceiving slot and lying in said tab-receiving recess between the outer surface of the inner flap and the inner surface of the outer flap, said outer flap being secured to the assembly of said inner and intermediate flaps by said cuif and tab, said outer flap presenting a smooth unmarred appearance.

4. An end construction for a receptacle composed of fiber board that has been hardened by impregnation with a hardening agent, said receptacle having side and bottom walls, said end construction comprising an inner fiap formed integrally with one of said side walls, an intermediate flap formed integrally with the other of said side walls, said inner and intermediate flaps lying in contact with each other and being stapled together, said intermediate flap having an integral handle supporting flap and a handle supported thereby, said handle having end portions disposed between said intermediate flaps and said inner flap, and an outer flap formed integrally with said bottom wall and overlying said intermediate flap, said outer flap having at its upper end a cuff-forming flap extending over the upper edge of said intermediate flap into mating engagement with the upper portion of said inner flap and being secured to the assembly of said inner and intermediate flaps by said cud-forming flap without staples whereby said outer flap presents a smooth unmarred appearance, said outer flap having a handle-receiving recess therein the width of which is at least as great as the width of said handle.

5. An end construction for a receptacle composed of fiber board, said end construction comprising an inner flap, an intermediate flap, said inner and intermediate flaps lying in contact with each other and being secured together, said intermediate flap having an integral handle supporting flap and a handle supported thereby, and an outer flap overlying said intermediate flap, said outer flap having a culf-forming flap securing said outer flap to the assembly of said inner and intermediate flaps with out staples whereby said outer flap presents a smooth unmarred appearance, said outer flap having a handlereceiving recess therein the width of which is at least as great as the width of said handle.

6. A blank for a fiber board receptacle, said blank having bottom and side wall forming portions, an inner end flap integral with one of said side wall forming portions, an intermediate end flap integral with the other of said side wall forming portions and an outer end flap integral with said bottom Wall forming portion, the junctures of said flaps with said wall forming portions being scored to permit folding of said inner and intermediate fiaps into engagement with each other and the folding of said outer flap into engagement with the outer surface of said intermediate flap, said intermediate flap having an integral handle-supporting flap in the central portion thereof and having a recess near the outer edge thereof, the outer edge of said inner flap being cut away whereby said edge lies below the top of said recess when said inner and intermediate flaps are in engagement with each other, said outer end flap having a handle-receiving recess in the central portion thereof, said handle-receiving recess being at least as wide as the handle-supporting portion of said handle-supporting flap, and having a projecting tab at its end adapted to be brought over the upper edge of said intermediate end flap and inserted into said recess to retain said outer end flap in position.

7. A blank for a fiber board receptacle, said blank having bottom wall and side wall forming portions, an inner end flap integral with one of said wall forming portions, an intermediate end flap integral with another of said wall forming portions and an outer end flap integral with a third of said wall forming portions, the junctures of said fiaps with said wall forming portions being scored to permit folding of said inner and intermediate flaps into engagement with each other and the folding of said outer flap into engagement with the outer surface of said intermediate flap to constitute an end Wall, said intermediate flap having an integral handle-supporting fiap in the central portion thereof and said outer end flap having a handle-receiving recess in the central portion thereof, said handle-receiving recess being at least as wide as the handle-supporting portion of said handlesupporting flap, and having a projecting tab at its end adapted to be brought over the upper edge of said intermediate end flap to the inner side of said end wall into frictional engagement with said inner and outer flaps and mating engagement with said intermeediate flap to retain said outer end flap in position.

32i References Cited in the file of this patent 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS 292,606 Wilson Ian. 29, 1884 514,683 Patrick Feb. 13, 1894 1,383,929 Gereke July 5, 1921 2,099,936 Kieckhefer Nov. 23, 1937 2,233,906 Zalkind Mar. 4, 1941 

